The connected car, with increasing annual revenue, has attracted strong research and development interest from automakers, mobile carriers, and consumer electronics manufactures. Among the research and development focuses, a key challenge is to enable personalized services such as information and entertainment (infotainment) for each occupant, including both the driver and passengers. Wearable devices, such as Samsung Gear series smartwatches, have become increasingly popular. These wearable devices can provide activity tracking and other functions comparable to those provided by a smart phone.
Mobile carriers have recently launched applications and services to restrict phone use while driving. Specifically, if a phone is detected to be inside a moving car, it will limit functionalities to avoid possible distractions, regardless whether it is with the driver or passengers. This is inconvenient for passengers, who will usually end up disabling this service all together.